Mitch McConnell defeats Rick Scott in GOP Senate leadership election

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell
(Image credit: Win McNamee / Staff/ Getty Images)

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) will continue to lead GOP senators after winning a secret-ballot leadership election, setting him up to become the longest-serving Senate party leader in American history, CNN reports.

McConnell defeated Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), his first opponent in 15 years, squashing Scott's hopes of unseating the GOP Senate leader. McConnell won the leadership vote 37-10-1 and expressed pride at the election's outcome.

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Theara Coleman, The Week US

Theara Coleman has worked as a staff writer at The Week since September 2022. She frequently writes about technology, education, literature and general news. She was previously a contributing writer and assistant editor at Honeysuckle Magazine, where she covered racial politics and cannabis industry news.